October 14th Pastor's Column

Next weekend we celebrate World Mission Sunday -along with all Catholic parishes we pray and support the men and women who have dedicated their lives to serving the Church in various countries throughout the world. Often these men and women are in very poor and difficult places and yet they faithfully serve the Church as missionaries. Please pray for the Missionary efforts of our Catholic Church today and always.

If you get Reader’s Digest (my father used to get it!) at home, in the October Issue there is an Article by Joe Rao. Joe is a weather person whom I met years ago while he was at News 12 Westchester. Now he works in the Hudson Valley as a weather person. Joe grew up in our parish and wrote a wonderful story about wanting to see an eclipse of the sun back in the ‘60s, but it was Good Friday and his mother brought him to Church. As Joe tells the story, he ran out of Church to see the eclipse with his mother being very upset with him for leaving Church on “Good Friday!” However, one of the Benedictines at the time, assigned to St. Benedict’s, said it was fine when approached by his mother which left a lasting impression on young Joe so much so that he became a weatherman! He submitted an article to Reader’s Digest about the whole incident (mentioning our parish by name!) and they published it in the October Issue. If you do not get Reader’s Digest then you can find a link to the article on our webpage or I will be happy to allow you to borrow the copy of the October Reader’s Digest that a parishioner has given to me and I have placed in our parish archives.

You never know how God will inspire us in our lives and, by the way, it is the 50th anniversary since that eclipse; another eclipse is about to happen in the sky soon, so never stop being amazed and watching for the wonders of God!

Until next week, peace and prayers. St. Benedict, pray for us! Terence Cardinal Cooke, Servant of God, pray for us!

Fr. Stephen P. Norton

Our Mission Prayer

Heavenly Father, as we celebrate the 90th Anniversary of St. Benedict's Parish in joy, help us to remain in the One Faith, One Community, Our Love you have established for us as a parish family. We ask this through Christ, Our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever. Amen.